


Bookworm

by bethevibeyouseek



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28209474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethevibeyouseek/pseuds/bethevibeyouseek
Summary: In an attempt to escape doing time from a crime that she did most definitely commit, adolescent Franky finds herself trying to fit in among the elite of the most prestigious boarding school in the country, Lawrenceville Academy.
Relationships: Allie Novak/Bea Smith, Erica Davidson/Franky Doyle, Franky Doyle/Bridget Westfall, Vera Bennett/Joan Ferguson
Comments: 28
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here I go again...
> 
> Me: (having a million other works in progress, and one so very close to completion) Maybe I should finish-  
> Brain: Nope, don't want to.  
> Me: But-  
> Brain: Nope, must start new fic.  
> Me: *Sighs and begins typing* Fine...
> 
> More characters will be introduced as this story continues, so if you don't see your pairing right away, forgive me.

“We’re here,” Franky’s case worker announced in a sing-song voice that made her want to punch the woman in the throat. She resisted the urge, and clenched her fist instead. They both exited the car and stood in front of the massive brick building with the stone insignia, ‘ _Lawrenceville Academy_ ’.  
  
“Home sweet home,” Franky muttered as she shrugged her worn yellow backpack over one shoulder. Miss Susan, as she’d like to be called, fetched her suitcase with the broken wheel from the boot of the car.  
  
“Listen, Francesca. I worked really hard to get out of doing time in Juvenile Corrections,” Susan said softly as she tried to roll Franky’s small suitcase towards her. It was sad to think all of her belongings fit inside it.  
  
“I know,” Franky nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.  
  
“This is a golden opportunity for you. A fresh start. A chance to use that brain of yours for good,” Susan smiled softly.  
  
“I know,” Franky repeated again, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. She had scanned the brochures toting an annual price in five figures. It was practically chump change to most of the student’s parents. To Franky, it was a ticket out.  
  
“Just please don’t stuff this up,” the case worker begged. Franky felt guilty. Sure, she was annoying as fuck, but Miss Susan had seen her through the last five homes in three years. Now here she was again breaking her neck for her after Franky had been charged with assault of her foster brother, the fucking creep. Franky was looking at six months to a year for her charge, but somehow she’d found a private school with a scholarship program for kids like Franky. Franky had never given much effort in school, but still managed to sail by in all her courses with ease. She’d passed the entrance exams with flying colors and secured a seat at the most prestigious boarding school in the country. If she didn’t stuff it up, that is. The conditions were very clear, one false move and she was gone. Her fancy uniform would be exchanged for prison trackies faster than she could say, ‘You’re fucked’.  
  
Out of the large wooden doors walked who Franky assumed to be the Headmistress.  
  
“You must be Francesca Doyle?” The petite woman read from Franky’s application folder in her hands. She was dressed plainly in an all black uniform buttoned all the way up to her neck.  
  
“Yes it is,” Susan touched Franky’s shoulders in an awkward hug. Franky did her best to smile and make a good first impression.  
  
“My name is Governor Bennet,” the woman extended her hand.  
  
“It's nice to meet you.” Franky turned the charm up high, determined to make this work.  
  
She had two years until she aged out. She knew if she worked hard enough, she could get a good scholarship to Uni and break the cycle for good. She wanted so much more than what the world had mapped out for her since birth.  
  
“If you both would follow me, we can finish your enrollment processing. Headmistress Ferguson will be joining us later.” _Interesting_ , Franky thought. So Governor Bennet was second in charge. The suited woman led the way in through the large double doors. The interior was deep rich wood tones and red carpet all the way through. A large staircase set in the middle of the room spiral upwards towards the classrooms. The main floor was divided into several lounge areas where various students were reading or talking with friends. All of them wore the same red blazers with the same crest embroidered on the lapel. Most of the students were too occupied to pay them much mind as they walked towards the admissions office. Franky followed closely behind, feeling like an animal on parade. She caught the eye of a petite blonde resting comfortably on the arm of a chair.  
  
“Sit properly, Ms. Novak,” Governor Bennet instructed as they passed. The young girl rolled her eyes and sunk back into the seat of the chair. Franky smiled softly as their eyes met.  
  
“So we have received your test results and medical history,” Governor Bennet retrieved Franky’s portfolio from the filing cabinet in the corner of the small room. She motioned for the two of them to sit. Franky shrugged off her backpack and set it on top of her suitcase before sitting down across from the Governor. “We do need a copy of your birth certificate and transcripts.”  
  
“Yes, of course,” Susan nodded as she fetched the required items from her bag. Franky’s eyes wandered across the paintings on the walls. All were photographs of what she believed to be the school’s students all filed into bleachers in front of the brick building. She watched as the photographs went from fuzzy black and white to technicolor. The size of the class increased as time went on.  
  
“Is that alright, Francesca?” She roused back to the present when she heard her name called again.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she blushed, having been caught in a daydream.  
  
“I said here is a copy of your class schedule. Unfortunately some of your credits will not transfer, we don’t accept grades below a C average,” Governor Bennet passed the transcript back across the table with her lips pursed.  
  
“Francesca had a bit of trouble at her last school,” Susan attempted to explain her poor grades.  
  
“Well hopefully that trouble did not follow you here. Thankfully your placement exams qualify you in grade 11 classes.”  
  
“Yeah, great,” Franky picked up her schedule and glanced over it quickly. Seemed pretty standard; Math, science, history… advanced placement English language? “I think there’s been a mistake. I can’t write for sh-” Franky began only to get an elbow in the ribs by Susan. “Sorry, I mean, I’m not sure I should place that high in English.” Franky had never gotten above a C in English. She hated most of her former teachers. All of them nosy cows trying to get her to open up with pen and paper.  
  
“That’s where your scores placed you,”  
  
“Why not give it a shot and see?” Susan smiled. Franky nodded, afraid to say anymore. Before Governor Bennet could continue, the door suddenly opened loudly behind them. Startled, Franky jumped and dropped her enrollment folder on the floor in front of her. It was funny how triggers worked. One moment she was fine, and the next even the slightest of sounds could send her jumping out of her skin. She scrambled quickly to pick up all the tiny brochures about programs and clubs and cram them back into the red folder.  
  
“Forgive me for my tardiness. Governor Bennet, thank you for starting without me. There was a situation in one of the dormitories.” Once Franky had finally stuffed all the papers back, she glanced up to see the stoic face of her new Headmistress. Her dark hair was pulled back smoothly into a bun at the base of her neck. Franky silently wondered how much hairspray it took to get it to stay that way.  
  
“Should I go help?” Governor Bennet reached for her keys and walkie talkie beside her.  
  
“No, no, it’s all settled now. This must be Francesca Doyle.” The stoic figure’s dark eyes  
  
finally landed on Franky, sitting uncomfortably in her hand me down jeans that were too short for her tall figure and faded green sweatshirt that had seen much better days. She suddenly felt that nagging feeling of fear at the base of her spine. She hadn’t felt it there since…  
  
“You must be Headmistress Ferguson,” Ripped from her memories, Susan pulled Franky to stand beside her and discretely elbowed her until Franky remembered to extend her hand. Franky smiled politely as she held out her hand to shake the stone faced woman’s. Silently Franky watched as she inspected Franky’s extended hand which she declined to shake. Instead she reached out and placed a large palm over Franky’s boney shoulder and gave it what was meant to be a reassuring squeeze. Franky’s green eyes met hers in a silent exchange.  
  
“Welcome to Lawrenceville Academy, Francesca.” Ferguson smiled through tight lips.  
  
“Happy to be here,” Franky smiled back.

It felt like ages had passed sitting in the uncomfortable office chairs while the two women went through the extremely detailed entrance procedures. Franky somehow felt like she was being booked into Juvie after all. What was next, a strip search?  
  
“One last matter to discuss,” the Headmistress spoke. _Thank fucking Jesus_ , Franky thought to herself. She felt stifled in the stale air of the room and she desperately had to pee. Another folder was opened in front of her and Susan. “A work study placement,”  
  
“Right, of course,” Susan nodded. Franky eyed her, confused.  
  
“One of the conditions of your enrollment in our program is on the basis that you will be spending fifteen to twenty hours a week working towards bettering our campus.” A job? Franky could have scoffed out loud. She had done far worse things than some sweeping floors for much less rewards. Franky nodded silently instead.  
  
“The students could always use some help in the culinary program,” Governor Bennet offered. “What about a preparatory position in the mornings before classes?” Cutting some veggies in the mornings was her punishment? Seriously? Before she could open her mouth to accept the position, Ferguson quickly intervened.  
  
“I somehow don’t think a position in the kitchen would be...appropriate for Ms. Doyle. We wouldn’t want to risk any injuries, now would we?” she cocked an eyebrow.  
  
Silence fell upon the group of women. So the Headmistress she knew the full reason that Franky was there begging at her door for sanctuary. _Touché_ _, Ferguson_. Something about this woman gave Franky the fucking creeps.  
  
“What about the library? We could always use someone to do some reshelving in the evening after classes. We can’t harm anyone with books now can we?” There was that condescending smile once more.  
  
“I’d love to,” Franky answered quietly pushing her anger back down.  
  
“It’s settled then. We can arrange a schedule later with the librarian.” She pushed the paperwork closer to Franky to sign.  
  
“Well, that’s it. You’re officially enrolled.” Governor Bennet extended her hand with a smile. Franky shook it gently.  
  
“Welcome. I will leave you to do the tour, Governor,” the Headmistress rose to leave without another glance towards Franky or Susan.

“If you need anything, you can call my cell number alright?” Susan whispered at the top of the stone steps during their goodbye . Franky nodded silently. These moments always felt so weird no matter how many times that they’d encountered them. “I mean it,”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“You’re a smart kid, Franky. No fucking up, alright?” The case worker held out her pinkie which Franky quickly wrapped around her own in a silent swear that she would try her best.  
  
“No fucking up,” Franky swallowed back the emotion that was threatening to escape. She cleared her throat quickly.  
  
“I’ll check in soon, alright? But if you need anything-”  
  
“Call, I know,” Franky nodded. Susan pulled her into a hug even though she knew Franky wasn’t big on physical affection.  
  
“I’ll miss you, kid.” She whispered honestly. She saw so much of herself in Franky. She prayed silently that this would be the fresh start that this unlucky kid needed.  
  
“Miss you, too. Thank you for this,” Franky replied honestly. She quickly swiped the corners of her eyes of any half-shed tears.  
  
“No fucking up,” Susan smiled again as she walked down the steps towards her car, leaving Franky alone once more. Franky watched as she drove away and waved. She then turned around and gazed at the building once more. She met Governor Bennet back at the doors with a bright smile and determination inside of her.

_No fucking up, Doyle._


	2. Chapter 2

With the enrollment process officially ended, and Miss Susan long gone, Franky was left in the hands of the new student welcome wagon.  
  
“I trust you can make Francesca feel welcome, Miss Novak?” The Governor asked as they stepped in front of the same blonde she had chastised moments before for sitting improperly.  
  
“Of course, Governor,” the blonde smiled, tight lipped. Once she was out of sight, her posture relaxed. “Hi, I’m Allie,” she said, extending her hand.  
“Franky,” Franky introduced herself with her preferred name, taking Allie’s hand into her own.  
  
“Well Franky, it’s nice to meet you. I’m your biggest fan already, you and this tour got me out of Calc class,” the blonde smiled appreciatively at the new student.  
  
“I guess, you’re welcome?”  
  
“Ready for the grand tour, newbie?” Allie extended her hand dramatically towards the staircase.  
  
“Lead the way, blondie,” Franky fired back.  
  
Allie took Franky on an extensive tour of Lawrenceville's campus, indoor and out. It seemed like just when Franky thought they’d seen it all, there was another building to explore.  
  
“Jesus Christ, is this a school campus or a city?” Franky adjusted her backpack on her shoulder, feeling it’s weight pressing against her shoulders.  
  
“You’re telling me. My first day I made the mistake of losing my map and couldn’t find the loo. I had to piss so bad I ended up going in the bushes. Got a week’s worth of detentions out of that,” Allie admitted sheepishly. Franky couldn’t hold back her laughter. She had expected the students to be as stiff as the Headmistress, yet Allie was anything but. Maybe she could be a good person to have in her corner as a little fish in a big pond of stuck up arseholes. Maybe an ally could help pass the time and keep her out of trouble.  
  
“Don’t piss in the bushes, got it,” Franky pretended to write the note down on her palm.  
  
“We’re almost done I swear, the dorms are just right behind the stables,” Allie pointed ahead.  
  
“Fucking stables? Seriously?” Franky stopped and asked, completely shocked. This place had horses?  
  
“No, I’m just fucking with you, newbie,” Allie winked and approached the steps of the nearest building, “the girls' dormitory is here, boys’ over there.”  
  
On the grassy space in between the dorms, Franky saw several couples cuddled up on blankets. Some were pretending to read and study together, and some were too focused on each other to notice anyone around them.  
  
“Aren’t there rules against PDA here?” Franky raised a questioning eyebrow.  
  
“For some people. Not for kids of Board members,” Allie whispered as she ushered Franky up the stairs of the building. She quickly peeked at Franky’s paperwork and led her to the appropriate room.  
  
“Home sweet home,” she smiled sarcastically. Franky entered the room and noticed how everything was in pristine condition. It put any group home she’d ever had the pleasure of crashing at to shame.  
  
“So which are you?”  
  
“I’m sorry?” Franky asked, confused.  
  
“Trust fund or scholarship?” Allie leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
“Scholarship,” Franky decided to leave out the details of her arrangement. Best not to frighten anyone away just yet.  
  
“Me too. I bet your parents were stoked when they found out,” Allie sat down atop Franky’s small desk against the wall.  
  
“No parents, just me,” Franky shrugged off the comment as she set her suitcase on the newly made bed. All of her things had been provided by the school so they were the proper royal blue and crimson colours. _Perfect_ , she thought. It would be the first time she wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb to her peers. Normally her clothes were big in all the wrong places and always too short for her tall frame.  
  
“You’re a foster kid?” Allie whispered softly, her eyes bulging slightly.  
  
“Fuck off,” Franky warned her as her line of questioning continued. Immediately her  
  
defenses were back. Just when she thought she could trust the blonde.  
  
“Sorry, I just... I didn’t think the Freak was letting anymore-” Alli attempted to backpedal  
  
swiftly back to safer territory, but there was no going back.  
  
“Anymore what?” Franky snapped. “Any more rough trade like me?”  
  
“No, I just meant-” Allie stuttered.  
  
“I think I can figure it out from here. Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality, blondie,” Franky stood at her open door and waited for the nosy girl to leave.  
  
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I would just be really careful who you share that information with,” Allie appeared sincere. Franky scoffed and motioned for her to leave once more.  
  
“If you need anything, I’m just down the hall in 202... I really am sorry, yeah?” Allie said softly as she exited. Franky sighed and turned back to finish unpacking.

In addition to her courses, Franky would be completing fifteen to twenty hours of work study in the library throughout the week and weekends as a condition of her admission. She was warned if she couldn’t maintain high marks, she would be quickly shipped to a cell in Juvenile Corrections.  
  
Franky’s head was already aching from sitting through a full day’s worth of lectures on subjects that she hadn’t touched in ages. She’d already logged a few hours worth of homework for that evening which she’d have to finish after restacking the shelves.  
  
After school, the library was like an absolute desert. Only the truly dedicated students would stay past four unless otherwise forced to by study groups or looming exams. Franky didn’t mind the work so much. It was quiet and it gave her something to do. She didn’t do well with lots of idle time. That’s usually when she found herself in trouble. One thing she _did_ mind, however, was how terrible the students were at putting their own books back. Instead, the restack shelves on each row overflowed from sheer laziness. Kids at this school were most certainly smart enough to figure out the Dewey fucking Decimal System. But that was it, wasn’t it? They knew it, they just didn’t care. Not when there were people like Franky around to pick up after them. It was nearing seven when Franky had finally made it to the last row. Triumphantly, she returned the last book to its correct spot and was home free! She hoped she could swing by the cafeteria to grab something to eat before starting her own studies. Just as she tugged her backpack over her shoulder, however, she heard the familiar thud of another book hitting the restack shelf.  
  
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she muttered. As she turned around, she watched the petite blonde culprit moving towards the exit.  
  
“Seriously?” Franky said loud enough for her to hear. Confused, the blonde turned around and removed an earbud from her ear.  
  
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that?” she smiled softly. Franky sneered and prepared herself to deliver the best serve of her life.  
  
 _Watch it Doyle_ , she reminded herself. _Free food, free bed._  
  
“Nothing. Just forget it,” Franky mumbled and dropped her bag on the carpet to reshelf the last book. gently  
  
“Oh, I’m sorry, I would have returned it myself but-”  
  
“Too much work?” Franky interrupted her sarcastically.  
  
“I-I can’t reach the top shelf,” the blonde admitted with embarrassment painted over her red cheeks. Franky’s anger immediately dissipated.  
  
“Now see, you have a reasonable defense,” Franky smiled gently, “in that case, allow me.”  
  
She snagged the rather thick novel and spotted the number along the side. “Developmental psychology, eh?” Franky spotted the break in the books on the top shelf  
  
and slipped it back into place, “just a bit of light reading for a Monday evening?”  
  
“It’s interesting,” the blonde shrugged, dismissing Franky’s comment, “are you new? I haven’t seen you around here before.”  
  
“Psychology and detective work, colour me impressed. Yes, I’m new.”  
  
“I’m Bridget,” she extended her hand with a coy smile.  
  
“Franky,” Franky introduced herself and shook the girl’s hand. Franky noted her bright  
  
blue eyes peeking from beneath her long lashes. She was stunning. Franky did her best not to be caught ogling. Better to fly under the school’s radar in more ways than one.  
  
“Well, thank you for your help with the book, Franky,” Bridget wrinkled her nose before  
  
turning to leave.  
  
“Anytime, Gidget,” Franky teased as she grabbed her bag from the floor.  
  
“It’s Bridget,” the petite blonde paused at the door, correcting Franky’s error.  
  
“I know,” Franky wrinkled her nose in response. She could have sworn she saw a deep  
  
red blush begin to appear on Bridget’s high cheekbones.  
  
“Bye, Franky,” she shook her head and disappeared out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to the one and only CongratulationsBaby for her magnifying glass eyes and beautiful brain (is that creepy to call someone's brain beautiful?). 
> 
> Thank you for reading! As always, comments and critiques are always welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Soon enough, Franky had fallen into the steady rhythm of Lawrenceville. It was strange, the less she had to worry about where she was sleeping or where her next meal was coming from, the more she was able to finally focus on school. Although she would never admit it out loud to a soul, she actually was enjoying the stability for once in her life. Even if it came with the price of a scratchy uniform.  
  
Still, things were still not all sunshine and rainbows. Being the new kid starting in the middle of a term brought unwanted attention to her from the other students. Try as hard as she may to slip under the radar, some of her peers were hellbent on figuring out the mysterious new girl. For the most part, Franky would shrug off their questions or answer with a simple yes or no. When they would press further about her past she would tell them to politely go fuck themselves, with a smile of course.

One student, however, was relentless in their pursuit.

“Is this seat taken?” Franky looked up from her lunch to see a tall, leggy blonde standing with her tray balanced on her hip. She’d been giving Franky the bedroom eyes around campus for weeks. Franky opened her mouth to shoo her away, but before she could speak the girl sat down and began eating her lunch. “I’m Erica,” she smiled and took a bite of her apple chewing happily.  
  
“Franky,” she replied, trying desperately not to watch as Erica licked the apple’s juices from her plump lips. She mentally shook her head back to the real world. “Don’t you have other friends you can sit with?” she cocked an eyebrow, trying to figure out Erica’s motivation for trying to befriend her.  
  
“I do,” she shrugged and glanced at her group of friends seated at a table near the back of the cafeteria. “Hey, I liked your discussion in Lit the other day,” she bit her lip.  
  
Franky thought back to their last class and remembered her crude commentary that had earned her a warning glance from the professor. What? Joyce _was_ a total perv.  
  
“I was thinking, maybe you’d like to join our Math study group? In exchange maybe you could talk me through some of the poetry stuff for class?”  
  
“So I scratch your back, you scratch mine?” Franky smirked. Sure could most definitely use the help. Calculus was proving to be pretty fucking brutal. If it meant she had to spend a few hours a week talking poetry with a hot blonde, she could see no problem. “Deal.”  
  
“Perfect! I could meet you in the library after class, say around 4?” _Work study_ , Franky thought to herself.  
  
“Four’s no good for me, I’ve got another date lined up,” she teased with a smile.  
  
“It’s not a date,” Erica’s cheeks began to blush at the forward nature of the new student.  
  
“Tutoring, dating, same same.” Franky shrugged her shoulders playfully.  
  
“Fine, how’s six?” Erica tried again.  
  
“Works for me. Casual or formal?” Franky smirked devilishly.  
  
“I’m sorry?”  
  
“So I know what to wear.” Franky chuckled. Maybe she could have some fun at this  
  
school after all.  
  
“I’ll see you tonight.” Erica’s cheeks blushed softly.

Franky couldn’t help but smile as she watched Erica walk away to dump her tray and get to class. She shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality and took a drink of water. Across the cafeteria she could see Bridget’s gaze on her as she sat beside her boyfriend, Jake Stewart. Franky _hated_ him already. He always made a big deal about the fact that his father was the current Board President. He saw himself as untouchable. Franky steered clear of his path. But one thing she couldn’t quite figure out was how on earth he could bag a girl like Bridget? Bridget, who read developmental psychology and other various subjects after school...for pleasure. How in the world could someone like her be attracted to a snake like him?  
  
Franky nodded her chin upwards towards Bridget, silently saying ‘ _I see you_ ’. Quickly Bridget looked away and shifted herself further into her table’s conversation, turning her back towards Franky.

After school Franky restaked the shelves as quickly as she could, wanting to be ready for her date-not-date with Erica. As she slid the last text into its proper place, she saw the familiar blonde head buried in another book. She glanced at the clock, noting she still had a little time to kill before her study session began.

“Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here,” Franky teased as she paused at Bridget’s preferred table. “What’s on the agenda for this evening, bookworm?” She peered down to see Bridget’s current reading. “Ooh, Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory, sounds thrilling,” she teased. “Was he the one with the dogs? Or was Pavlov?” Normally Bridget would have smiled at her comment, but she didn’t appear to be in the mood for their normal conversation that evening.  
  
“I saw you with Erica Davidson at lunch today. What did she want?” Bridget abruptly changed the subject, catching Franky off guard.  
  
“What’s it to you?” Franky’s eyebrows creased. The only exchanges that she and Bridget actually shared in person were in class and in the library. Any other time they happened to see each other around campus, it was a wordless glance. What did she care who Franky chose to spend her time with? It wasn’t as if she was volunteering herself.  
  
“I’m just saying, be careful,” Bridget warned softly, turning the page of her book.  
  
“Why?” Franky leaned down closer to the petite blonde. “Ya jealous, are ya?” Franky couldn’t stop the smirk from slowly appearing on her face. She could practically smell Bridget’s envy radiating from the woman across from her.  
  
“No, because she’s a toxic cow. And anyone that Erica touches ends up expelled or worse.” Oh, she was most definitely jealous.  
  
“You don’t scare me,” Franky shrugged her shoulders.  
  
“Fine, suit yourself.” Bridget slammed her book shut, gathered up the remainder of her things, and she left without another word.  
  
“What the fuck?” Franky mumbled to herself, utterly confused.

Tutoring with Erica was actually twenty minutes of flirting and caresses of hands on knees before the blonde was pulling Franky behind the last row of books. She began pressing a row of deep kisses over Franky’s neck.  
  
“Jesus Erica, if you wanted to fuck me all you had to do was say so,” Franky whispered as she pushed the blonde against the wall and pressed her thigh in between Erica’s legs sending shockwaves up through her body.  
  
“Please, Franky,” Erica whimpered. Expertly Franky hitched Erica’s leg around her waist and allowed her hand to slip underneath her uniform skirt. Softly Franky brushed over her panties to find them already wet with arousal. _Fuck_ , she thought to herself. Even the gentle touch sent Erica’s hips lurching forward begging for more. Franky leaned into Erica, her lips hovered over hers as her lips turned upwards into a knowing smirk. Frustrated, Erica squirmed trying to gain more contact from the beautiful brunette in front of her.  
  
Only after a few more moments of teasing, Franky slid her hand beneath Erica’s panties and let her fingertips run the length of her moistened sex. Erica sharply inhaled at the delicate touch, her head falling to rest on Franky’s shoulder, giving her control over to Franky.  
  
Franky didn’t disappoint. She pressed the length of her middle finger inside of Erica’s heat and thrust it several times, coating it thickly before adding a second digit and gradually ratcheting up the pace. Erica could only wrap her arms around Franky’s shoulders and submit to the pleasure coursing inside her.  
  
“Oh fuck!” The blonde panted as her legs began to shake. “Franky, I-” She stuttered as the walls of her sex began to pulse around Franky’s skilled digits. Franky took care to ride her through each lasting wave of her orgasm. Only once she was certain she had fucked Erica thoroughly and completely did she remove her hand from underneath Erica’s skirt. She let Erica stay pressed against her as her breathing returned to a normal rate. Wordlessly Franky popped her wet fingers into her mouth and licked them clean of any trace of Erica.  
  
“How was that for our first lesson?” Franky teased biting down on her lip.  
  
“I like your hands on approach,” Erica fired back as she smoothed out her skirt and fixed her hair.  
  
“Well if you like my hands, you should see what I can do with my tongue.” Franky couldn’t help but laugh at the banter between them. She opened her mouth for her next retort, but was abruptly caught by surprise from a voice behind them.  
  
“Davidson, Doyle, my office now.”

_Fuck_.


	4. Chapter 4

_Shit, shit, shit,_ Franky repeated on loop in her head the entire walk towards Governor Bennett’s office. She hadn’t even made it a month before trouble came knocking on her door. Franky kept stealing sideways glances towards Erica and noticed she didn’t look the least bit concerned.  
  
“What do you two have to say for yourselves?” The Governor finally spoke once they were behind the closed office door. “Speak up.”  
  
“Governor Bennett, I-” Franky began launching herself into what she hoped would be an award winning apology.  
  
She would say or do anything, _anything_ , to stay at the school.  
  
“I’d like to call my father,” Erica crossed her arms over her chest and sat down with her hand extended impatiently.  
  
“Miss Davidson, now is not the time to be-”  
  
“I said, I would like to call my father,” she repeated. “Didn’t I overhear you and Headmistress Ferguson discussing renovation plans for the boy’s dormitories? About needing funding to back them? I just thought maybe you’d like to save the hassle of preparing a plan for the Board. I’m sure a silent donor would expedite the process, wouldn’t it?” Erica crossed her legs. Franky stood completely gobsmacked. She watched on as Governor Bennett wrestled with what to do next.  
  
“Very well, you may go back to your room. We will discuss the matter with your father tomorrow morning.”  
  
“Thank you Governor,” Erica smiled brightly as she stood to leave with Franky in tow.  
  
“Miss Doyle, you wait here. We are not done. Goodnight Miss Davidson,” she dismissed the other girl, leaving Franky alone to face her fate.  
  
Franky’s mouth was suddenly as dry and scratchy as sandpaper. She held her breath for the inevitable. _It was nice while it lasted._  
  
“This is your one warning. If I see or hear of any illicit behavior, you will be expelled permanently. Do you understand?”  
  
“Yes, Governor Bennett,” Franky nodded curtly. “I understand.”  
  
“You’ve worked hard for this opportunity. Don’t go screwing it up.” Franky caught the briefest glimpse of sincerity in the Governor’s face.  
  
“Thank you,” Franky bowed her head. When she exited the office, Erica had left her behind and was probably long gone. Her emotions threatening to spill over, Franky quickly moved to leave for her dorm, not caring about her belongings back in the library.  
  
Maybe Bridget was right. Maybe Erica was a toxic cow. How had she let herself get sucked in so easily? She had almost thrown away her golden opportunity. And for what? One quick shag behind the shelves? How could she have been so careless? Because she was a sucker for pretty girls. Her tears were already streaming by the time she’d reached the second floor of the dorms. She tore passed the common room, hoping no one would take notice of her nearing breakdown.  
  
“Woah, Franky?” She heard someone ask from behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know the soft and caring voice was Allie’s. “Franky, what’s wrong?” She tried once more, speeding her steps to catch her. By the time Franky had reached her room, she fumbled and dropped her keys swearing under her breath. “Hey, it’s okay. I got it,” Allie bent down calmly to retrieve them and quickly opened the door for Franky.  
  
Unable to hold back any longer, Franky collapsed face first onto her mattress and let the tears flow.  
  
“Franky, what happened?”  
  
“I’m a fucking idiot,” she groaned still processing her almost expulsion.  
  
“Yes but...What happened?” Allie tried again to get anything out of her. She understood why Franky’s walls were up after she had made a fool of herself at their first meeting. Allie had hoped that by giving her a wide berth for the first few weeks, hopefully they could work up to friendship.  
  
“Erica fucking Davidson. That’s what happened!” The brunette snapped, chucking her pillow onto the floor in a fit of rage.  
  
“Oh no, You fucked her, didnt you?” Allie’s mouth dropped open. Although she’d had her suspicions about Franky’s sexual orientation, she did not expect to hear that Erica had already gone fishing on the new student so quickly.  
  
“Take out a bloody ad, why don’t ya?” Franky shouted, mortified.  
  
“Oh, Franky, I should have warned you. She’s-” Allie felt guilty. She should have been the one to warn her, but after Franky’s initial dismissal on her first day, she’d been a lone wolf ever since. She secretly hoped that Franky would eventually come around and see that she wasn’t a threat. And it was clear that she needed one.  
  
“A fucking toxic cow, I know!” Franky flipped to lay on her back, her arms covering her face which was burning red.  
  
“Well, not exactly what I was going to say, but just the same.” Allie did her best to hide a laugh.  
  
“She nearly got me expelled!”  
“You got caught?” Allie gasped. Franky’s groan was the only affirmation she received. Truthfully, Allie was surprised Franky _hadn’t_ been expelled. Normally the administration at their fine establishment didn’t get second chances. She wondered what set Franky apart from the rest. What was she missing?  
  
A soft knock came from the door which caused both of them to freeze. Despite Franky’s head shakes, Allie answered the door anyway hoping that it would be the blonde in question so she could tell her off to her face. When she opened the door, it was to a fellow blonde, but a much, much shorter one.  
  
“Bridget,” Allie said, failing to hide the surprised tone in her voice.  
  
“Hi, sorry, I was just dropping this by for Franky,” Bridget smiled softly and held up Franky’s backpack. “I think she must have forgotten it in the library. At least, I think it’s hers,” Bridget lied. She _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that it was Franky’s because she’d been scanning the school for the muted yellow backpack since the evening Bridget had met her in the library. There was something about her that Bridget wanted to protect. From their few classes together she knew that Franky was incredibly intelligent, although her rough around the edges quality didn’t give it away. It was her writing. Bridget knew she should have been snooping, but she put off the breach of privacy on searching for a name in the bag. She wouldn’t admit she sat in the library and read her entire notebook from cover to cover.  
  
Franky’s notes in certain subjects were meticulous. She clearly enjoyed her literature and languages courses the most considering the sheer amount of pages she covered in her messy scroll. The connections she had made to other works were incredible. Bridget had not taken her for an avid reader, but seeing her quoted passages from different authors had proved her completely wrong. Maybe she was the Bookworm after all.  
  
Franky’s notes in math and science however were lacking. Mostly just boldly written formulas and half solved problems intermixed with a hole lot of question marks throughout the pages. Bridget had found a folded up Calc quiz with a failing score and the teacher’s note, ‘Try harder’.

So now Bridget was at her door ready to lay it all out on the line.

On the other side of the door, Franky paused briefly and wiped her face of any stray tears. She rose from the bed and stepped in front of Allie.  
  
“Hey,” she greeted Bridget softly and glanced down at her bag. “Yeah, that’s mine,” she nodded and held out her hand. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” Franky wasn’t used to the kindness of strangers.  
  
“Look, about what I said before. I didn’t mean to offend you or make any assumptions about you. It’s just...I’ve known Erica since primary school, and she has a habit of preying on anything shiny and new,” Bridget explained.  
  
“I think I’ve heard just about all I want to about Erica fucking Davidson,” Franky rolled her eyes at the mere mention of the name.  
  
“I could tutor you, if you’d like,” Bridget changed the subject instantly, respecting Franky’s words. “No strings attached, I swear. I took Calc last year.” Bridget had been a year ahead in math for quite some time. “Besides, I could use the refresher myself before exams.”  
  
“Math whiz and a future shrink? You’re turning me on, Gidge.” Franky whistled. As much as she would have liked, Bridget couldn’t stop the blush from appearing over her cheeks.  
  
“I’d rather you were motivated than aroused,” the blonde fired back.  
  
“Well, now I’m motivated and aroused,” Franky raised her eyebrows and playfully wrinkled her nose. The feeling that it ignited inside Bridget’s chest brought her back to reality.  
  
“I-I’ll see you tomorrow,” she stuttered out before retreating towards her own dorm, the smile refusing to leave her face.

Once Franky had closed the door, she turned to see Allie with a wide grin on her face as she sat casually on Franky’s desk.  
  
“What do you want, blondie?”  
  
“Nothing. Bridget’s a good chick. Way better than-”  
  
“Don’t you dare say that cow’s name in my presence again.” Franky warned with a finger in Allie’s face..  
  
“Got it, boss.” Laughing, Allie held up her hands and nodded.  
  
“Hey look, I’m sorry about before. I just don’t like talking about my life before I came here.” Apologies didn’t come easily to Franky, but it couldn’t hurt to have an ally among the spoiled brats, right?  
  
“Your secret is safe with me,” Allie said as she pretended to zip her lips shut and toss away the imaginary key. “Tea?”  
  
“Wish you had something stronger,” Franky mumbled honestly.  
  
“That, my friend, is what Boomer is for,” Allie smiled and opened the door and motioned for Franky to follow.  
  
“Who is Boomer?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed! Comments and constructive feedback are always appreciated! 
> 
> PS - I promise I haven't forgotten my other works. I am in the final semester of my grad program at Uni and when things wrap up, I will have so much more time to continue and finish them! Thank you for your patience.


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